Doctor Who: Series 2 reviews
by tookworm
Summary: In which I move on to Series 2 of Doctor Who and continue posting episode reviews. Are you ready?
1. The Christmas Invasion

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2 Christmas Special – "The Christmas Invasion"

Quick note before I begin. If you're here after reading my reviews of Series 1, you know the drill: _**no spoilers please**_ **.** If you're new here, firstly, welcome; secondly… well, no spoilers please. Feel free to say things like 'oh, I can't wait to see your reaction to this next episode, Crystal' or things of that nature, but also don't tell me that Rose is secretly a female Time Lord or something. (On that note, don't tell me if I'm wrong there or not). So yeah, I am tookworm. My name is Crystal and I'm a Northern Brit who has taken 16 years of her life to delve into the world of _Doctor Who_. Hope you enjoy my reviews for _Doctor Who_ Series 2!

So. The Christmas Invasion.

It was… okay? Ish? I guess? I mean, Christmas specials of television shows tend not to be very good, so I had low expectations here. The plot is one of the worst ones we've been forced to sit through, and the extension to an hour-long episode didn't help.

I did enjoy the first ten minutes or so, because the idea of brand-new Doctor to get to know was so very exciting. David Tennant's opening scene is quite amusing, establishes just how very adorable he is in the role, and also establishes another thing: this Doctor is nothing like Nine. More on that later. His entrance is amusing and I really did like it. Mickey and Jackie's reactions were hilarious too.

I have little to say on the episode's plot besides the fact that I found it stupid. Oh, _brilliant_ , another large-scale alien invasion that's reported worldwide and puts like half the people in the world in peril yet somehow I don't recall hearing reported on the news. Very smooth, Russell T Davies, very smooth. Have you ever encountered a little word called _subtlety_?

The evil Santas wouldn't have been bad but were dispensed with very quickly. The attack tree was just plain silly, but at least I got a giggle out of it. As for the Sycorax… (sigh)

I did like the design of the Sycorax as well as the prosthetics work, which I found quite creative. The inside of the ship was also unique, though it didn't do too much for me. Beyond that I could not bring myself to be captivated. The idea of blood control I found original as an idea but was poorly-executed. And, like everything else in this episode, was just far too overblown and over-the-top. A lot like Davies' other work.

And shockingly, I wasn't really hyped about the return of Harriet Jones. I'll high-five her for becoming Prime Minister, but to tell the truth, her reappearance could have been _so much more_. She has developed somewhat, becoming more pro-active and such, but her personality is more or less the same. I did quite like her exit, though – man, this Doctor can be intimidating, can't he?

My final words, will be, of course, on the new Doctor himself. I mentioned it in my review of 'The Parting of the Ways': as a longtime fan of David Tennant, it's super-exciting to see him in the role of the Doctor. Just from his first few minutes, it's clear to me that he isn't going to be the same Doctor Chris Eccleston was, and I think that's a good thing. Actors should be able to find their own take on the character in roles that require several people to play them, and if all actors played on the same personality, it probably wouldn't suit them. The Tenth Doctor will be different from the Ninth, and I'm OK with that.

Having said that, I'm glad the script didn't ignore the fact that accepting the new Doctor will be hard on Rose. And boy, does she ever take it hard. The problem is that I just can't bring myself to sympathise with her. I felt understanding at first, but Rose went from mourning and afraid to simply whingey and annoying. Good God, was she ever annoying. I understand the trauma she's been through, but she also does FAR too much sobbing for me to feel sorry for her! Lines like 'the proper Doctor would know what to do' and 'my Doctor would be here for me' and 'the real Doctor would wake up' – hang on, luv, what was that last one? Are you implying that you don't think the Ninth Doctor would stay unconscious? That Nine would just be able to wake up? THAT TEN IS BEING UNCONSCIOUS WILLINGLY, which Nine would NEVER DO?

Jesus bloody Christ, Rose.

And what's more, as soon as the Doctor steps from the TARDIS in his pyjamas and dressing gown all dramatically, she accepts him in the blink of an eye! Like, 'Oh, OK, now he's saving the day again, he MUST be my Doctor. I mean duh.' I would have much preferred, I dunno, a gradual transition of acceptance and relationship development?

So, on to Ten: it's clear that, yes, he's not Nine. For one thing, contrary to Nine's line 'I'm the Doctor and if there's one thing I can do it's talk', Ten is much more chatty than his predecessor. This is practically machine-gun-fire dialogue. He's also much more arrogant, and seems to have a dark side that's more under the surface than Nine's. Overall, very excited where he takes me next.

I just hope Rose becomes tolerable again.

 _ **THOUGHTS AND QUOTES**_

Let's address the elephant in the room: David Tennant is hot. Like really hot. Holy shite. I'm hyperventilating. I mean, I knew he was hot, but _God_ is he ever sexy as the Doctor.

On the note of David Tennant and hotness, he looked smashing in Chris Eccleston's leather jacket. (Still miss you, Nine!)

'Is there anything else he's got two of?' Well, I guess there had to be a penis joke in there eventually.

Tea to the rescue!

'Is that the sort of man I am now? Rude and not ginger?'

'From the day they arrive on this planet, and _blinking_ , step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen; more to do than can ever – wait, no, sorry; that's _The Lion King_ … but the point still stands!'

'You see this hand? It's a fightin' hand!' David Tennant and a Southern accent. I can't even.

'Don't you think she looks tired?'

Still missing Nine.


	2. New Earth

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2, Episode 1 – "New Earth"

David Tennant's first proper episode as the Doctor was an episode I settled down to watch on the sofa with my second cup of tea of the day, carrot sticks, and a leftover slice of cake from my gran's birthday. I curled up and made myself comfortable. The episode settled down and made itself comfortable, too – on a great long conveyor belt of clichés and tired old tropes. I _really_ disliked "New Earth" and I think it's a right shame that this mess of an episode had to come so early in David's run.

The main problem comes down to the script, because everything else is great – Billie Piper gets to show off her acting skills, David Tennant gets to be silly, the set looks pretty expensive, and I'm loving the prosthetics work on the Sisters of Plenitude. They look amazing.

The opening scene is reasonably promising: the chemistry between Piper and Tennant is actually pretty good – not quite as likeable as Rose and Nine's banter, but I'm quite happy to accept this pair. There's lots of excitement in the Doctor's "further than we've ever gone before" and because David Tennant sounds a little bit sexier with his Estuary accent than his natural Scottish one, I was quite, um… er… oh, let's just call a spade a spade, OK? I was turned on. (Fir the record, I know lots of people prefer his natural accent, but I'm a Northerner so I'm drawn to the sexy Englishman all the way. Rant on David Tennant's voice later).

Plus, the year Five Billion and Twenty-Three should be cool… right?

Wrong.

It's just after this that everything falls apart, including the chemistry between the new Doctor and Rose. There was delightful banter between Nine and Rose and Eccleston and Piper bounced off each other perfectly, a playful fight for dominance that was always ongoing, and was made particularly fun when Jack was thrown into the mix. Rose turns into a shallow, giggly girlish character, gushing out, "Can I just say, travelling' with you… I love it!" I know it's exciting and all, Rose, but this is a comment I might have expected from her person maybe in the early Eccleston episodes. And while Tennant's dazzling smile makes me happy inside, it's not enough to satisfy my horrified inner cries that this just _isn't good writing_. Whatever happened to the Bad Wolf Entity?

But oh _God_ is the plot ever awful. I bring back the idea of a conveyor belt of clichés: body swaps, lab subjects, sinister cat people, and worse of all, the return of Cassandra. Look, I really didn't find Cassandra all that funny the first time we met her, and she's not funny now. The supposed way she "survived" is painfully forced and stupid, and this time she has a new minion named Chip. Sadly Chip's makeup and prosthetics work isn't half as impressive as that of the Sisters.

The body swap serves as most of the gags in the episode. This happens after Rose and the Doctor are separated through the lifts and Rose decides to follow the ~mysterious noises~ at the end of the ~eerie corridor~ only to meet Cassandra and Chip. I didn't find most of the body swap humour very funny, though I enjoyed that Billie got a chance to tread new acting territory. Her 'Oh God… I'm a chav!' was priceless. It was also interesting to see Cassandra being the Doctor's quasi-ally, and I did enjoy that kiss scene.

I was, too, really interested by the return of the Face of Boe. OK, sure, he teleports/disappears before he can deliver his ~mysterious prophecy~ which probably won't come back until the finale, in the true style of viewer-teasing, but it's still pretty exciting.

But oh, _God_ the plot is awful. I don't want to get into it too much, largely because I was so irritated I already forgot the details (I actually watched the episode like a week ago but was way too lazy to write the review).

The lab rats portion of the plot should be bringing some interesting moral quandaries to the table, but it fails to do so completely. Is it moral to experiment on subjects for the good of others? It's a question of utilitarianism – the suffering of some for the good of more. The Doctor, it turns out, might have had a few disagreements with Jeremy Bentham. His speech to Novice Hane pretty much outlines his principles, and what a speech it is!

And by 'what a speech,' I mean melodramatic, over-the-top, and just all-round cringey. Tennant does his best with the material, but there's not much good to work with. From the roaring 'HOW MANY?!' to the overdone 'If you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with me!' there isn't much you can do to act well. I've always enjoyed the Doctor's powerful badass moments when he was Nine, so I hope Ten will get some good speeches to work with in future episodes, otherwise the writers will really strip down what to me clearly has the potential to be a brill Doctor. This Doctor might be a little more flamboyant and arrogant than his predecessor but this is a bit of overkill.

He's adorable when he successfully rescues the experiment subjects with er, water with food colouring in it, but even then his lines are cringey. His squealed 'I'm the Doctor and I cured them!' is pathetic, making him sound like a little kid. And when we go back to Nine's equivalent of the 'I saved everyone' speech – _Just this once, everybody lives!_ – it just pales in comparison.

Cassandra supposedly gets character development, but even then it's forced – a sudden change of heart in the blink of an eye. Really the only good thing about this episode is her death scene, and even then it's only good because everything before it was such an abomination.

All in all, a really disappointing episode of _Doctor Who_ ; I can only cross my fingers for the next one because I'm just not feeling Series 2 yet, mates!

 _ **THOUGHTS AND QUOTES**_

\- I actually just want to go on a rant about Tennant's Doctor. Yes, I do swoon every time I see him. But for all his new arrogance and flamboyance, I also see a much gentler, quieter soul in this Doctor, and either much of his anger, guilt and grief has melted away since the Time War, or at least he's become better at hiding it. His childish nature and wordplay have been fun and totally adorable; I believe that in a better episode he might get a chance to truly use it and use it well. He also has, to me, much more a quintessential _look_ for the Doctor. Not to mention his voice, which is soft with a layer of grittiness to it and it's just so perfect and… *swoons*

\- This soundtrack is far too good for a low-budget TV show

\- 'It's like living inside a bouncy castle!' I wish I could go on a bouncy castle at the age of 16 without judgement. Living in one also sounds like a lovely idea.

\- 'Oh baby, I'm beating out a samba!' I have been scarred for life.

\- THEME STILL SO AWESOME!


	3. Tooth and Claw

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2, Episode 2 – "Tooth and Claw"

First off – SORRY FOR TAKING LIKE TWO MONTHS ON THIS, REVIEWS WILL NOW BE MORE REGULAR I HAVE NO EXCUSE ALL I CAN DO IS BEG YOUR FORGIVENESS

Moving on.

This isn't a great episode, but honestly, after the disaster that was "New Earth", it's a real relief. Thinking about it, mythology is one of the best things that could have happened to _Doctor Who_. My main problem is honestly the fact that the entire story is built off a great big plot hole.

Because, hey, werewolves, mate! I absolutely love a good werewolf story. I just generally enjoy werewolves as mythological creatures. (And I'm not talking about the ever-shirtless so-called 'werewolves' of _Twilight_ ). So bringing such cool ideas together with a show like _Doctor Who_ is great. I mean, it wasn't a werewolf in the traditional sense, but Davies' concepts were nevertheless pretty fascinating. There's a stroke of cleverness to taking such a familiar trope and twisting it so it applies to the Doctor's world.

I also really do enjoy the historical episodes because I'm such a big fan of biopics. My love of historical figures in such storytelling was what made me enjoy 'The Unquiet Dead.' And Pauline Collins has officially become my favourite-ever actress for Queen Victoria; oh, she's just so brill. Really knocks it out of the park. The historical aspects really help to establish this episode for me.

But it's late. My brain's scattered. My thoughts are scattered. This is going to be a disorganised review, so I'll try my best.

The pre-credits scene is just ridiculous; no substance whatsoever. So I admit, I was just about ready to cry because I was so desperate for a good episode in this series. After the absurd stuff with the monks, though, the episode takes a strong turn. In fact, I really quite like the first half of the episode. Hearing David Tennant use his natural accent was lots of fun, even if it is the sexy Englishman that gets me going, and the dialogue in the scene where he and Rose first encounter Queen Victoria is hilarious. Also… again – QUEEN VICTORIA!

Things pick up quickly after that. "Tooth and Claw" doesn't really feel like the kinds of _Doctor Who_ episodes we're used to, and while yes, I have said many times that every episode's different, this one plays out much more like a horror short than an episode of a sci-fi show intended for kids. Was it this episode or "The Empty Child" that scared away all the kiddies? There's an appropriately brooding feel to the whole set up, very dark and tense.

And the build-up is also fantastic – from the monks preparing the mistletoe to the Doctor's dinner conversation about love and loss with Queen Victoria, from Rose's kidnapping to her conversation with the creature in the (cellar? Barn? Sorry but I can't remember anymore.) It's all very nicely done, and I totally punched the air when the creature told Rose she had 'something of the wolf' about her.

Then the moon comes out, and there's lots of running. Lots and lots of running.

The deaths of Sir Robert and Reynolds were touching and incredibly grisly. This is by far the most violent episode of _Doctor Who_ yet. I enjoy the CGI used for the werewolf quite a lot. I can't help but notice how great the special effects are this series compared to last year, and I hope that not all the energy is exhausted on special effects and instead spent a little more on substantial story. But still. Great werewolf, BBC.

Which brings me to my problems with the episode: one, the running 'I am not amused' joke. It started out well enough, really. Light-hearted and fun. But when people start _dying_ , Rose keeps the joke going, which makes me want to slap her in the face many, many times.

Then of course there's the excessive use of deus ex macchina in terms of the conclusion. The diamond as a trap for the wolf? There are way too many connections here to be plausible, even if some arrangements _were_ intentional. I mean, there's a convenient house specially designed to trap the wolf, with a special observatory made so the wolf could come in. So far, fine. But then the Doctor manages to align the telescope perfectly with the moonlight at the exact angle And the problem is that far too many questions arise from this! Like, how did the Doctor manage to align the telescope perfectly with the moonlight at the exact angle with the exact amount of moonlight in correspondence to the exact place the wolf would enter the room and the exact right second?

In the end, the Doctor and Rose are knighted by Queen Victoria, something I find quite cringey for a number of reasons. One, it kind of preaches the monarchy a little bit; as if there were something really worth praising in being knighted. Sure, it _is_ an honour, but it also celebrates authoritarian states and capitalism, which I'm not a fan of. It's also pretty ironic because David Tennant in real life was offered knighthood and he refused. Secondly, it feels really unnecessary to me? I mean, sure, I'm fine with the Doctor being known on other planets and such, but I much prefer him as being the anonymous figure for the most part, especially on Earth. He's a quiet, behind-the-scenes hero. He doesn't just never reveal his identity like Spiderman, he never reveals his existence. He doesn't _want_ to be celebrated or worshipped.

I want to wrap up with my thoughts on Queen Victoria's announcement that she declared the Doctor a national enemy, and banished him from Britain. (lol, good luck, Your Majesty) So, Torchwood, which we briefly heard mentioned in "The Christmas Invasion," appears to be the main carrier for the story for this series. I'm guessing this mysterious agency will _not_ be our friend in the future, but it does make for an interesting premise. I'm intrigued, but I have a big problem with the Queen's banishment of the Doctor and Rose. I mean, some people died, but he also saved a load of people and possibly the whole world! Things would have been a thousand times worse if he hadn't been there to save your skin!

(Cue deep sigh) Davies…

 ** _THOUGHTS AND QUOTES_**

What was up with the ninja monks at the start of the episode?

'Oh, I'm all dazed and confused. I've been chasing this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, you… tim'rous beastie?''

Where were Queen Victoria's plentitude of servants and ladies-in-waiting. She even had to carry her own handbag. Scandalous.

But how lovely was that shot of the Doctor on one side of the wall and the wolf on the other? Cinematography: A+

'Books! The greatest weapons in the world!'

If the mistletoe was in the varnish, supposedly stopping the wolf from getting in, then how was it able to get out?

And if the monks thought the wolf was a god, why did they leg it at the end there?

And the award for least character development ever for the Doctor and Rose goes to…

That knighting scene though. The cringe was real.

The Queen is totally a werewolf. Oh. Now I have an image of little Prince George as a teeny werewolf and my mind can never be cleansed again.

Still a better werewolf than the one in _Prisoner of Azkaban_.


	4. School Reunion

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2, Episode 3 – "School Reunion"

 **OK, so first off, I am SO sorry this is late again! I am just really busy at school with prep for my A-levels and such. I will try to get Episode 4 up here asap but I don't know if that will happen. I do not plan to drop this show; it's too incredible. It's also really hard for me to hold back from watching more but I need to write a review before I can move on AHH. I'm aiming for a review a week for now so please bear with me.**

I must say while I enjoyed this third episode of the second series, I do have some mixed feelings about it. It's a good, light-hearted romp of an episode. It's plenty of fun, if I had to choose a word to describe it. The simplistic plot of your teachers being evil child-eating aliens is sure to delight kids. I even liked it a lot, because God knows I daydreamed about that exact thing when I was 12. There is nothing wrong with a good, solid, silly plot. The main villain was even great fun!

And then on the other side of the spectrum there's an angst ride. The character development here is great, and I admire newcomer writer Toby Whithouse for doing such a good bloody job on exploring the Doctor and even Mickey! I did _not_ expect Ricky the Idiot to be fleshed out, and yet here he was. My main problem in this section was Rose, who, I'm sorry, acted like a complete bitch. She's been bitchy in general this series which makes me sad because I liked her, so I hope she returns back to her usual self soon.

And _then_ there's all the Classic-era tie-ins! I haven't seen a bit of it but I got a really good sense of the character of Sarah-Jane and the adorable K-9. I understood just how _important_ she was and how close she and the Doctor were, and this is carried forward both by the writing and by the phenomenal acting from David Tennant and Elisabeth Sladen.

So since I've done nothing but praise, mostly, thus far, what, you ask, if your problem with the episode? Why did you say you had mixed feelings, Crystal? And I tell you, mates, _here's_ the problem: great as the episode is, there's just _too much_ going on. There's angst regarding the Doctor's morality and past, old characters coming back, tension between characters old and new, and . If this episode had elaborated somewhat in the alien plot then I might have been okay with it, because then everything wouldn't feel so crammed together. Unfortunately it does, meaning a decent episode that could have been great feels somewhat messy. The rushed, confused climax conclusion certainly doesn't help either.

This review may be a bit messy by the way, so heads up.

I want to repeat that the absurdity of the plot is all part of the fun. There are problems, which I'll address here, but the silliness is what carries it forward. An alien race, the Krillitanes, which can take the form of their victims apparently (?) settle and take over a secondary school so as to use the children for their ~evil purposes~ They want to use the Skasis Paradigm to bend the rules of time and space to their will, from what I understand. So the children would (solve?) the Paradigm or something, and then And was the oil toxic to everyone but children? If not, why not tend to evil purposes in an environment more filled with adults who could potentially solve things quicker? Or if it's one of those things about children's imaginations why not go to a primary school? If so, why didn't Rose die? The explanations were a bit confused if you ask me. And I don't get it.

I did however like the detail that it was Mickey who brought everyone together, getting the Doctor and Rose to come and investigate. It makes Mickey an altogether stronger character. He's less of a great dork than he was before, he's served justice, if only a little bit. He's _aware_ of his surroundings and he's reflecting on them. If he'd actually done anything else in the episode, I might have been even happier.

I want to stress this heavily: I feel for Sarah Jane completely without having seen classic. I could just _feel_ the bond that existed there. The Doctor's face upon first seeing her, recognising her even when he knew she wouldn't be able to, tells a thousand words. His excitement at being reunited K-9 is also adorable. K-9 is incredibly adorable, again, and I just love him to bits. Hope he comes back one day. David Tennant just _was_ the Doctor here. You could tell he had travelled with Sarah Jane despite the actor having been young at the time those episodes aired. The scene where Sarah Jane discovers the TARDIS is also a real highlight. The mysterious arrangement of Nine's theme works beautifully.

The relationship between Rose and Sarah Jane. Look, I understand Sarah Jane's hurt. She had every right to despise Rose, only at first she doesn't. The idea of the Doctor having companions after her is fine with her, it makes her happy, and she's warm and kind to Rose. Upon finding out the Doctor has never mentioned her she's shocked and miffed, but she deals with the whole thing well. She's a bit petty and nasty to Rose, but it doesn't compare to the treatment she receives in kind. But Rose, I'm sorry, was just _such a selfish little_ bitch. Why would she assume she's the Doctor's first companion, first person he's ever met in nine hundred years of travel? She then holds that _against_ Sarah Jane, directing her bitterness and petty feelings towards her instead of the Doctor. Rose seems a bit too doe-eyed over this Doctor at times if you ask me, so once she confronts him she forgives him easily. It must be the Bambi eyes. But at any rate: It's ugly and I don't like it.

The real highlight for me, of course, being drawn to suffering and angst, is all the stuff dealing with the Doctor's morality, his nature as a dark hero, and the grimness of his past. There was a point where he was _actually tempted to go against his morals and side with the enemy to bring back his people._ He knew it was wrong and dangerous, but he was going to do it anyway, and that's heartbreaking. David Tennant's face is also expressive, so much so that he carries these scenes effortlessly. Sarah Jane's speech on love and loss is simple, but touching and very appropriate. It's also made all the more touching by the simple fact that Sarah Jane herself is someone he has lost before and will very soon lose again.

All in all? Not a bad episode, but a very disorganised one. BUT THE NEXT EPISODE I'M TOLD IS WRITTEN BY MOFFAT AND I'M SO EXCITED EEEEPPPPP!

 _ **THOUGHTS AND QUOTES**_

David Tennant wearing glasses through the entire episode made me so happy.

"So… physics! Phyyyyyscis. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics! I hope you're getting this down!"

So why the heck was the school willing to hire the Doctor and Rose and admit them to their evil alien coven and why were there some human teachers left?

"Hello, Sarah Jane." My heart did a happy dance here.

I want a K-9 for my 17th birthday, care to tell me where I can get one?

Could have done without the dramatic music and minutes-long sequences of the kids computing the answer to the Paradigm. We get it after ten seconds, ok?

"You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone." Tears and feels, tears and feels, tears and feels. (violent sobbing begins)

Of course I might have been more touched by the above line if Rose hadn't been acting so bitchy this series. And if the chemistry between her and Ten worked as well as it had with Nine. Okay, now I'm picturing Nine saying this to Series One Rose and crying harder than ever. Thanks, brain!

Don't laugh so loudly, you'll be overheard!

"I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy." That's dark, man. The delivery makes this line too, by the way, not angrily but quietly. He's not even threatening, he's just tired, accepting of the person he's become. DAVID FREAKING TENNANT MATES.

So the entire computer lab running codes for the Skasis Paradigm is powered by one plug in an outlet? Man, that's not very good for our evil aliens is it?

Whatever I may say about forced and rushed, dammit if I didn't shed a small tear or two at the touching goodbye with Sarah-Jane.


	5. The Girl in the Fireplace

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2, Episode 4 – "The Girl in the Fireplace"

THAT WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT MY GOD MY BRAIN IS REELING FROM HOW WONDERFUL THAT WAS.

And be warned – if this gets absurdly overanalysed, blame my English Studies teacher.

I'd honesty be hard-put to think of a lovelier episode. I can't wait for Moffat to take the reins of the show; I have a very good feeling about it. "The Girl in the Fireplace" is very different from Moffat's other episode in Series 1. Where that one was rich in creepy horror, atmosphere, and plot; this one is rich in story and visuals. It's almost poetic, how beautiful it is. The gentle soundtrack also really helps, giving the whole thing an almost whimsical feeling.

The episode opens with a shot of the night sky, so our first assumption is that the episode is set in space. Then the camera pans down to show Versailles in the 18th century. It gives us a feeling of infinity, of something much greater, so it's a really interesting way to open the episode. This is juxtaposed really nicely be repeating the same shot after the opening credits. This time the camera pans up to reveal the spaceship. I think this helps to serve how unified past and present are in the episode, it makes for a freaking gorgeous visual link.

I'm actually quite excited to see where things are headed. I was a bit nervous to see an episode, I admit openly, where Mickey was key to the narrative and would be featured as a travelling companion. I do have mixed feelings on how it played out in this episode. On the one hand, it worked out… fine? It was actually a bit of fun having him around. Yeah, I'd go that far. I liked the Doctor constantly poking fun at him and it was warming to see him adjust to the way the life of the Doctor and Rose works. As it turns out, he's a quick learner. On the other, he didn't really contribute anything, and the dynamic didn't change as much as it did when Adam or Jack joined in the TARDIS crew. This might be because the companions play a smaller role in the episode, of course – after all, this was the Doctor and Reinette's story.

(Only in that case, wouldn't it have been better to place this story one episode later to give Mickey more of an episode to really join in?)

At any rate, the Doctor, Mickey, and Rose arrive on a deserted spaceship in the year 300,000. And everything here just works _so damn well_ – the mysteriousness of the missing crew and the appearance of the fireplace. There's a little girl on the other side, named Reinette, from the year 1727. The Doctor, leaving Rose and Mickey behind, takes the fireplace to go and visit her. We quickly learn that this bizarre space-time travel is unreliable as the Doctor lands in the same child's bedroom months later.

The scene in young Reinette's bedroom is one of my favourites. While it doesn't come close to the horror of the Empty Child it's appropriately creepy, and the abuse of the monster-under-the-bed trope is great. The scene is actually quite haunting.

Young Reinette: You're scared of a broken clock?  
The Doctor: Just a bit, yeah. 'Cause if the clock is broken… then what's making that ticking?

All other sound suddenly goes silent, the camera shows the characters' frightened facial expressions, all in time with the _tick-tick-tick_. It's absolutely terrifying, and makes you think of all the sounds in life you take for granted. Then our monster pops out literally from under the bed.

I really do enjoy the monsters' design; it's very clever and just a bit creepy. There's some mysterious dialogue between the Doctor and the monster. The monsters want to use Reinette's brain, but she's not yet 'complete' so they have set up time windows all through Versailles to stalk her through her life, peeking in on her until she's ready to be used. It's absolutely, wonderfully bizarre and original and I don't think anyone else would _ever_ have been able to think of such an idea.

I don't think the aliens were ever named on-screen, but I did some digging and it appears the fandom refers to these guys as the Clockwork Droids? Ok. I'm good with that, I'll call them the Clockwork Droids. When the Clockwork Droid follows the Doctor through the fireplace onto the ship, he freezes it with a spacey fire extinguisher and removes its mask, revealing the clockwork underneath. This scene, too, works really nicely, as the Doctor admires the monster, or Droid, for what it is – he respects the intricacy and beauty of its design, something I appreciated as it shows the softer, adventuring side of the Doctor, one who's curious and fascinated by everything and after centuries still delights in learning.

The Doctor decides to go back to visit Reinette, telling Rose and Mickey to stay put. They don't, naturally, shown through a lovely little scene where, the moment the Doctor's gone, Rose grabs the extinguisher and begins heading off. At first Mickey's confused as to why she's not following the Doctor's orders, but a minute later he grins, grabbing a fire extinguisher of his own. 'Now you're getting it,' Rose says.

When the Doctor next visits Reinette, she's all grown up and played by Sophia Myles. Grown-up Reinette, in turns out, is quite coy and flirtatious, kissing the Doctor on their first encounter. I think one of the major themes of this episode was the Doctor and love, what his relationship with love is. Did he actually fall in love with Madame de Pompadour? In my opinion, no, he didn't. He loved her, but he wasn't _in_ love. Still, there is a gorgeous tenderness to their relationship, one that I personally warmed to very quickly. Just as the Doctor wasn't in love with Reinette, she wasn't really in love _back_. (That sentence sounded grammatically incorrect).

The best scene they share, in my opinion, is the mind-reading scene. There's no denying the sexual undercurrents there. The allusions to 'dancing' especially remind me of the sexual metaphor that 'dancing' served as in 'The Doctor Dances.' The entire scene, though, is much more carried forward by a quiet, peaceful beauty, all awash with golden lighting. Reinette seems to be able to see into the Doctor's childhood, and I can't help but wonder if maybe she saw a glimpse of his name. We know _so little_ about the Doctor's childhood – so very, very little. I get the feeling that the Doctor's past is just like his name – a great secret. I don't think the writers will tell us what the Doctor's name is, ever, and I don't think they should. We don't _need_ to know. Goodness, we don't even need to know _why_ his name is a secret. I think the mysteriousness of the Doctor is best kept mysterious enough that we don't even know what the mystery is.

But in this scene, we got a little hint.

It really is a gorgeous scene. I'm actually fascinated by Reinette's line 'There comes a time when all little boys must learn to dance.' No, I don't think the two of them actually made love or even came close, but apart from the flirtatious elements, the timing of this line is perfect.

The Doctor is falling deeper and deeper in love with Rose, and I'm told that Rose was in fact the first romance the Doctor ever had, except for this one brief fling Eight had. One could, then, consider his romance with Rose the Doctor's sexual awakening. He needs to learn how to dance now.

My favourite scene, though, would have to be the conversation with Reinette and Rose. The dialogue is lovely, and I enjoyed both the tender way Rose explained the situation to Reinette as well as Reinette's insistence upon her past. 'It happened, child, and I would not have it any other way.' It was also nice to see Rose get a bit more involved in the action, taking on a role normally played by the Doctor. Nothing, however, compares to this one line: 'The monsters and the Doctor. Seems you cannot have one without the other.'

This line is intensely fascinating to me, because there are two really interesting ways you might interpret it. One, of course, is an echo of our own lives. We cannot have just good things, just the Doctor. Without the bad things – the monsters – the Doctor would count for nothing, we would not need him. We would not notice him when he came.

But there's another way I read this line as well. Doesn't it also suit an explanation of the character himself? The Doctor is himself a very dark character. The heroics he puts on – 'the Doctor' – are just a front, as well as a coping mechanism for his darker thoughts and past. Inside, though, there is something 'monstrous.' He is a combination of these. You can't have one without the other. He wouldn't be the same man otherwise.

This is Rose's main scene in the episode, but you know what? I'm pleased, I actually liked her in this episode again. _I actually liked and cared about her again and it was almost like old times_. We see her as kind and sympathetic, as she was in the first series. I hope she's found her footing again as the Rose Tyler we know and love; because the only time she's really come close this series was the few scenes she had at the beginning of 'School Reunion' and a couple bits in 'New Earth.'

The ending, of course, was inevitable – but it's a blow all the same. The fact is, the Doctor did care about Reinette with all his hearts. He was, for just a moment, willing to give up his own life for her – take the 'slow path.' And that _hurts_. The moment he tells her, through the fireplace, to 'pick a star, any star' we know that when he returns she'll be gone. The moment the Doctor returns to Versailles via the fireplace and we see the room quiet and poorly lit, we know. And yet it still hurts immensely to hear the King's words. We also realise here the King cared about Reinette, that he didn't just see her as his sexual partner and lover. The tenderness and sadness in his words as he speaks of her passing make this clear.

In conclusion? Easiest 9/10 ever.

 _ **THOUGHTS AND QUOTES**_

Little Reinette looked way older than seven. She looked, like ten or eleven.

'It must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink.' 'What's that?' 'Dunno, just made it up. Didn't want to say "magic door".'

'What's a horse doing on a spaceship?' 'What's pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get some perspective, Mickey.'

'No, you're not keeping the horse!' 'I let you keep Mickey!'

'Oh, look at what the cat dragged in; the Oncoming Storm!'

'You're Mr Thick-Thick Thickety-Thickface from Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad!'

'One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel.'

Hey, Reinette ages well. She looked the same at 37 as she did at 23.

I have a nagging feeling Sophia Myles is going to win this series' Best Acting award.

And now let's settle back as Trump dominates the world with his fascism.


	6. Rise of the Cybermen

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2, Episode 5 – "The Rise of the Cybermen"

Wow. It's… been a while, hasn't it? Truth is, I only sort of meant to drift away from this? Now school has been an awful lot to deal with it but there are other factors that got in the way too. I discovered this other great series, and I also got a PM telling me the next episode was going to let me down big time, so I put it off somewhat. If you have enough faith in me to be reading this, THANK YOU! I promise to get around to being more meticulous – for real this time – with reviewing from now on, but I also want to be realistic. My estimate/goal is to have completed Series 6 by the end of June. It would mean a lot to me if you all stuck around until then.

To move on with the review – WAS IT LET DOWN OR WAS I NOT? [insert drumroll here]

"The Rise of the Cybermen" is the first half of a two part story, which frankly I didn't expect. I'll have to see Part 2 soon because of that cliffhanger, though I'm not really very worried about Rose and the Doctor. The episode was fair, perfectly decent, but very, very classic Davies so that it pales in comparison to the episode before it. (Yes I know Davies didn't pen this one but he still has a say in everything, and I'm sure his say in this case was big). Moving on, then.

Thinking back, I quite like the new dynamic of having Mickey in the TARDIS team. Last time I mentioned how very much I enjoyed having the Doctor constantly make fun of Mickey because many of those jokes were SODDING PRICELESS but I've come to enjoy the awkwardness of this trio too. Poor Mickey is the butt of most jokes and this is no suave Nine-Jack-Rose crew of constant clever and sharp banter. The direction of the love triangle here is clear, so Mickey's around to make us feel bad for the poor sod.

Because I like the new dynamic, I feel bad we get so very little of it. The three characters were only onscreen at the same time in two or three scenes last episode, and this time Mickey ran off five minutes in, and so did Rose.

What's interesting about this episode is that it's centred solidly in the multiverse theory, a solid old sci-fi classic. Personally I'm a mite tired of seeing the multiverse theory because nowadays it's because a bit of an overdone trope but I don't mind too much. One, this episode's 10 years old, and two, it's fairly well done in this case. The revelation that the Doctor and co. crashed into a parallel universe is fairly good and exciting, and the entire thing does give the show something fresh and new. I actually didn't expect anything like parallel universes to come into _Doctor Who_! It feels much more science fiction-y now, somehow.

Not to mention the small differences here are also fairly well-done – the bluetooth earpiece-type things that control the entire population, Rose and Mickey's families. The only thing I found a bit random were the blimps. So far they haven't served much of a purpose and feel thrown in for no reason. If they were only inserted to make our characters realise they were in a parallel world, that's not enough for me.

On the note of Mickey's grandmother, I did rather like she gave Mickey a bit more complexity. I feel quite sorry for the poor bloke now and it's clear he had something of a tough life. What I didn't quite like as much was how Ricky's grandmother was treated as something of a comic figure. For being blind. That last shot featuring her reaching out and yelling Ricky's name felt like it was made with laughs in mind. If it was meant to be serious it didn't come across that way.

In good drama-building our three characters get pulled into various situations- Rose copes with the drama that her parallel parents' marriage is in a bad place. The Doctor just sort of goes along with her. Mickey is mistaken for his parallel self by Ricky's mates and finds himself in way over his head. Noel Clarke gets to experiment with his acting range as Ricky but it doesn't really pay off. Again, I've seen Noel in other things and have never been a big fan of his. Still it was fun to see Mickey at the heart of action for a change.

All this is set against the backdrop of the Cybermen invasion run by Lumic. It's all very grandiose and very Russell T Davies. None of it was nearly as interesting to me as the personal drama going on with the characters. Lumic felt like a supervillain typical to superhero movies or cartoons. Though the way he integrated himself into his own technology to stay alive was kind of cool, it still felt like rather much. I was half expecting to start shaking his fist and cursing Perry the Platypus next.

My problem again is that it's just too melodramatic – this mega invasion is huge and the parallel universe setting felt like an excuse to make the premise as ridiculously dramatic as possible. After all, we won't have remembered anything that happened in the other world of that scale, so why not go all out? Then again that didn't stop Davies in _Rose, Boom Town_ or _The Christmas Invasion_. And lest we forget _World War Three_!

Actually never mind, let's forget that episode.

What I'm trying to say is that I felt underwhelmed.

Now, I understand this episode serves as a tribute to and big return for a very iconic recurring monster of _Doctor Who_. And I actually do like these Cybermen. So it should have been more exciting and it wasn't. Bigger is not always better. Compared to the FANTASTIC return of the Daleks in Series 1, this is sort of a shame. I feel those classic monsters deserved better.

The episode ends on a textbook cliffhanger. I'm not especially worried about our characters and I'm sure the Doctor will have no trouble getting out. But I'll post Part 2 ASAP.

 _ **THOUGHTS AND QUOTES**_

Ha, Barty Crouch and Barty Crouch Jr in one episode.

How unbelievable was that bit where the homeless people were converted in the back of the lorry?

Parallel Rose is a dog.

Ricky the Idiot OF COURSE YES.

Hmmm yessss give me more David Tennant in a tux please mmm yess


	7. The Age of Steel

Doctor Who reviews – Series 2, Episode 6- "The Age of Steel"

Well I must admit I didn't have terribly high expectations going into this episdoe, and that was probably a good call. "The Age of Steel" is by no means a bad episode, but it's an awfully long way enough from a very good one. It's a pretty depressing episode, I will say. It was better than its first half, which isn't all that common, but it's still so grandiose and big and explosive and screaming "LOOK HOW MUCH WE CAN SHOVE INTO 45 MINUTES" my poor brain just wants things to settle down.

Welp this is gonna be another scattered review but you lot are used to it by now I believe. Honestly I just have so little to _say_ about Episode 6. I actually watched it a while ago but it drfited out of my memory fairly quickly, hence the late late review. (And for that I apologise, but y'know… A-levels… )

Rose and the Doctor get out of their tight situation pretty easily, as I'd anticipated. Why would anyone be worried about this pair? We all knew they were gonna turn out totally ok. It's quite enjoyable to see the Doctor working in a big team for a change. It's fresh and new, and while I don't think this formula would work very well (at all) for the long term, it's interesting to see it here. Having Parallel Pete join the gang is an especially interesting choice.

That brings me to my first Big Point: I honestly love how _different_ this Pete is to the one we got to know in 'Father's Day.' This Pete, assumedly because of his very different circumstances, is a very good, kind, and well-meaning person, but he's also tough and hard, unlike the soft, bumbling fellow in Rose's world. He's willing to resort to measures that are far more extreme, he's quick to anger, and he's determined. This only goes to show Shaun Dingwall's talent as an actor of course, but it's important to the narrative as well. This is _not_ our Pete, and this is not Rose's Pete.

This is initially difficult for Rose to accept – even in a parallel universe she cannot have the father she's always yearned for – but icounterintuitively it's actually much better for her. She can't stay in the parallel universe forever, after all, and Pete can't come with her into her world. He has his own life, and if he were the same man Rose's true father was, it would make the goodbye much more difficult.

For the most part, the scenes involving the infiltration are largely uninteresting to me. The scenes generally felt like they were being played out to be exciting and dramatic, so much so that I found myself idly reading the nutritional info on my Maltesers while the episode played. I mainly enjoyed the scenes with the Doctor and Mrs Moore – they were quiet and introspective, but there was still an unshakable malicious tension in the air. It made for better viewing than the drastic states and situations the others found themselves in.

Anyway, the Doctor and co. successfully infiltrate the cyberman factory and confront The Final Boss Lumic. Most of his team, including Ricky, kick the bucket. Of course, the _way_ the Doctor wins, and saves the remainder of the world, is incredibly dark. I'm having trouble deciding whether or not the Doctor's actions were extreme for his character or not. He said 'no second chances' at the start of his run, and so far he's generally stuck to that, but the fate that befalls the converted, and then un-converted Cybermen, is horribly harsh. His victory is dependent on the suffering of many. I'll have to get back to you on whether or not I consider that in character.

I do tip my hat to Tom McRae in one respect, though – I haven't felt this much for a guest character (save Madame de Pompadour) since Linda-with-a-y, so I was very upset when Mrs Moore died. I really liked her! The episode also what I think may be the highest body count yet with the possible exception of "The Parting of the Ways." ;-( *cwi* I also really, really loved Jake. My love for the secondary characters really affected my enjoyment. Tom McRae's death scenes are a little overly dramatic but they did make me feel something. I don't think I'd have liked the episode nearly as much if the characters hadn't been so good.

My last point, you might guess, is on Mickey. I don't know if he'll return or not in the future – I can't really see any way for him to do so – but I honestly hope he doesn't. He was never my favourite character, but this does seem the best ending for him. This Cyberman two-parter has really given him some room for development he was always deprived in previous stories, and while he's not a perfectly well-rounded character, he's definitely grown and changed. This ending gives him closure, but it's an opening as well – he can move on and do more great things, become more of a person in his own right – it's going to happen, and we don't need to see it, because the implications are already there, and they're what count.

 _ **THOUGHTS AND QUOTES**_

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has been ruined for me forever.

Parallel Jackie noh

"I'd call you a genius except I'm in the room."

"I once saved the universe with a biiig yellow truck." I REMEMBER THAT. And I'm actually going to almost miss poor old Mickey.


End file.
